Favorite coffee roasters? (companies that roast, not equipment)

[JesseC]

@ClarkstonMark

@Brian G r a f s t r o m

has anyone tried Philz Coffee? A location just opened up a block from my work, and I’m curious to know if they’re worth my time and money.

Was in Palo Alto a couple weeks ago.
Planned to get a coffee at Blue Bottle, but the line was a city block long.
Drove by a Philz, short line. The coffee was pretty good to me. They have 15-20 beans to choose from, and I can’t remember which beans I drank. The vegan donut on the other hand went straight into the trash after one bite.

Mmmm, vegan donuts. Sounds… awful

[P_Willenberg]

Anyone have a favorite roaster or café in New Orleans? I’m overwhelmed with all the exciting options.

So far my list includes HiVolt, Pulp and Grind, Spitfire, Solo Espresso, and Merchant.

[MandyC]

@P. Willenberg

Anyone have a favorite roaster or café in New Orleans? I’m overwhelmed with all the exciting options.

So far my list includes HiVolt, Pulp and Grind, Spitfire, Solo Espresso, and Merchant.

The only roaster in town that I’m familiar with is French Truck. They’ve got a shop in the lower garden district. In central city, I like Church Alley. The coffee at Addiction in the French Quarter is good, too, although I didn’t care for the atmosphere.

[Brent_C_l_a_y_t_o_n]

@M. Sai

@David Henry

@Brent C l a y t o n

Todd,
If you like a lighter roast then there’s George Howell and there’s everyone else. Shipping might hurt a bit since it’s cross-country, but I think at certain purchase levels they offer flat rate shipping.
http://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/

Big +1 on George Howell. The shipping cost is high, but I have really enjoyed every bag I’ve purchased from them.

Can anyone clarify exactly when the 12oz bag of beans became the new pound?

Mike,

$16/lb is my target retail for good coffee, so $11-12 for 12oz is ok with me. Also, I don’t mind a smaller size because as a single guy I don’t go through a pound that fast and would rather have fresher stuff.

If you look at George Howell’s site, for some of their limited roasts go up to $45-50 for 8oz…

[alan_weinberg]

look at Bodhi Leaf–they sell mostly green, but also a lot of roasted beans at a great price.

[ToddFrench]

@Brent C l a y t o n

Todd,

If you like a lighter roast then there’s George Howell and there’s everyone else. Shipping might hurt a bit since it’s cross-country, but I think at certain purchase levels they offer flat rate shipping.

http://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/

I finally have my first cup of George Howell coffee, taking the plunge to see how it is, as another experiment - Millcreek Coffee Roasters - didn’t pan out. Even their ‘light roasts’ are too toasty for me.

I’m enjoying Pulcal Yellow Bourbon, and it’s the most acidic coffee I’ve ever tried, and I love it! It even has an acidic finish, like a crisp Chablis of the coffee world. I’m afraid these are going to KILL my stomach, though…

[George_Hejna]

This is my new favorite. Really excellent coffee. They do a monthly shipment of 1 pound (2 different types) for $22 shipping included. They roast then ship the next day.

Colorful Coffees roasted in Central Wisconsin, USA.

George

[P_Willenberg]

Guatemalan coffees like the Pulcal tend to have that acid. Look also for Red Bourbon (less so Caturra and Typica) and coffee from Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. iirc Klatch typically has some. Are you near a Klatch?

@Todd F r e n c h

@Brent C l a y t o n

Todd,

If you like a lighter roast then there’s George Howell and there’s everyone else. Shipping might hurt a bit since it’s cross-country, but I think at certain purchase levels they offer flat rate shipping.

http://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/

I finally have my first cup of George Howell coffee, taking the plunge to see how it is, as another experiment - Millcreek Coffee Roasters - didn’t pan out. Even their ‘light roasts’ are too toasty for me.

I’m enjoying Pulcal Yellow Bourbon, and it’s the most acidic coffee I’ve ever tried, and I love it! It even has an acidic finish, like a crisp Chablis of the coffee world. I’m afraid these are going to KILL my stomach, though…

[ToddFrench]

@George Hejna

This is my new favorite. Really excellent coffee. They do a monthly shipment of 1 pound (2 different types) for $22 shipping included. They roast then ship the next day.

http://rubycoffeeroasters.com/

George

Yeah, I’ve been part of Ruby’s club for months now - was looking to try some others as well. Love their stuff

[Chris_Foley]

I order most of my coffee from Java-Gourmet in Penn-Yan NY. The owners have a 914.
The Seneca Lake finishing salts, and the chocolates they sell are pretty good too.

[SeanHarding]

I think I’m going to swing by Kean in NB today and pick up some beans. I’ve yet to find a local source of beans I like in OC, but I’m also sick of ordering online so I really want to find a decent local retailer that is convenient enough to stop by on a regular basis. Kean’s location isn’t ideal, but at least the Tustin branch is vaguely on my commute.

[Stan_Y]

@Todd F r e n c h

@Brent C l a y t o n

Todd,

If you like a lighter roast then there’s George Howell and there’s everyone else. Shipping might hurt a bit since it’s cross-country, but I think at certain purchase levels they offer flat rate shipping.

http://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/

I finally have my first cup of George Howell coffee, taking the plunge to see how it is

If you like it, try their Kenya Mamuto AA sometime, one of their best coffees to my taste.

[alan_weinberg]

used to buy always from Howell’s Terroir till I started roasting my own.

[Michae1_P0wers]

I have two:

Sump coffee here in STL is fantastic. But their shop is out of my normal commute and they are only open 9a - 4p, albeit 365 days/yr.

Square Mile out of London is awesome as well. A local shop (Comet) ships this stuff in along with other top roasters from around the US and the world. Apparently the customs wait can be a nightmare, but its usually on the shelf about six days out from roast and its so good that I buy it though I’d normally look for a closer roast date. I believe the roaster there has won numerous international awards and is considered one of the best. Excellent product. When pressed though, I’d say that my local choice is just as good.

[John_Webber]

Just ordered 4 lbs from Red Bird. 1st order and I will report back, but I love the 1 and 5 lb bag options, reasonable prices, and free shipping on 4+ lbs.

Coava looked good, but $30 per lb is not what i’m looking for. I will give them a visit next month though to see what the love is about.

[P_Willenberg]

Really happy with Portola in Costa Mesa.

@SeanHarding

I think I’m going to swing by Kean in NB today and pick up some beans. I’ve yet to find a local source of beans I like in OC, but I’m also sick of ordering online so I really want to find a decent local retailer that is convenient enough to stop by on a regular basis. Kean’s location isn’t ideal, but at least the Tustin branch is vaguely on my commute.

[SeanHarding]

The stuff I got from Kéan was pretty good. I’ll keep exploring local options, but it’s good to have at least one decent choice.

[Michae1_P0wers]

@John Webber

Just ordered 4 lbs from Red Bird. 1st order and I will report back, but I love the 1 and 5 lb bag options, reasonable prices, and free shipping on 4+ lbs.

Coava looked good, but $30 per lb is not what i’m looking for. I will give them a visit next month though to see what the love is about.

Do a lot of people here go through five pounds in a reasonably short enough time to make this worth it? I assume a shelf life of about two weeks from roast, so 2.5 pounds per week seems like a lot. However, I don’t grind for drip, which I assume takes a lot more beans.

[P_Willenberg]

I brew 85 grams a day which is enough for 3 strong cups of coffee. At that rate it would take me 4 weeks to go through 5 pounds.

For properly roasted beans, I wouldn’t touch them until 7 days, then drink from day 7 to day 20 with confidence. Discarding after day 25.

[Michae1_P0wers]

@P. Willenberg

I brew 85 grams a day which is enough for 3 strong cups of coffee. At that rate it would take me 4 weeks to go through 5 pounds.

For properly roasted beans, I wouldn’t touch them until 7 days, then drink from day 7 to day 20 with confidence. Discarding after day 25.

This is about my feeling on the shelf life. I get beans anywhere from 4-8 days out depending on where I’m getting them from and then after about two weeks of use I think that they are about done, so about that 20-25 days measure.

Overall I am sure that I use less weight than you because most days I make one cup at home. Maybe two or a press or vacuum pot on the weekend, but not always. So I go through about 12-16 oz. in about two weeks of use.